Locks, Bolts and Bars

John Massey's story is unique. Part of a notorious duo that the Flying Squad dubbed 'Laurel and Hardy', his criminal activities included hijacking a police car after robbing a bank of £25,000 and relieving the Sunday Mirror of £50,000 - and all before he was arrested for murder, aged 27. But that was just the beginning. Given a life sentence, with a minimum term of twenty years, Massey would find himself incarcerated for forty-three years, give or take a prison break, in almost every prison in the country. In Locks, Bolts and Bars, one of Britain's longest-serving prisoners reflects on a life spent on the 'inside', from corrupt guards to notorious criminals, and the real value of freedom.

Ghost writer Dan Carrier first met John Massey when he was the crime reporter for the Camden New Journal in 2000 and Massey was in prison. Since then, Carrier has become friends with Massey and his family, and was at the prison gates on the day of his final release in 2018. They have collaborated on his remarkable story.